The Route of the Spanish Language

The origins of a language spoken by 400 million people

This route is more than a journey focusing on the history of the Spanish language. It also reveals the beauty of several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Spain, like Ávila, Segovia, Salamanca and Alcalá de Henares. They are the locations of monasteries, universities, cities and landscapes that have inspired some of the greatest works of Spanish literature.

The route starts in San Millán de la Cogolla (La Rioja). Here the Yuso and Suso monasteries are where the “Glosas Emilianenses” appeared, containing the first words written in the Romance language, later to evolve into Spanish. San Millán was also where Gonzalo de Berceo, the first poet in the Spanish language, wrote his verses. Did you know that the Yuso Monastery library is one of the most important of its category in Spain? It remains exactly as it was in the 18th century, and has no electric light in order to protect its delicate collection.

The route continues 110 kilometres away in Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos). The monastery here produced another of the first examples of Spanish, in the “Glosas Silenses”. Its cloister, an exceptional example of Romanesque art, has exquisite capitals, which also served to teach the sacred scriptures to the people. In the centre of the cloister, you will see the cypress tree to which Gerardo Diego dedicated a sonnet in 1924. If you have time, you should attend the religious services to hear the famous Gregorian chant by the Silos monks.

The next stop is 130 kilometres away: Valladolid. In Valladolid’s period as the seat of the royal court, it was the scene of intense cultural activity, which influenced the spread of the Spanish language. The University, where work was done to arrive at the model of a well-spoken language, should not to be missed. Other places that should be visited are those devoted to figures linked to Valladolid, like the Zorrilla House-museum, the Cervantes House-museum, the Columbus House-museum and the Heretic Route, based on the novel by Miguel Delibes.

114 kilometres further on is Salamanca, where Antonio de Nebrija wrote the first Spanish Grammar. Its University, one of the oldest in Europe, was an important cultural centre attended by illustrious figures. It is a curious experience to visit its great library, Fray Luis de León’sclassroom, which remains just as he left it; and the old rectory house, which now houses the Unamuno House-museum. Literature is ever-present in Salamanca’s streets and monuments. For example, the faces of writers in the medallions in Plaza Mayor square, the stone bull beside the Roman Bridge from the novel “El Lazarillo de Tormes”, and famous characters from “La Celestina” in Huerto de Calixto y Melibea garden.

The next stop, less than a hundred kilometres away, is Ávila. Here you can follow in the footsteps of the main authors in mystic literature, Santa Teresa de Jesús and San Juan de la Cruz. You will find, among the city’s walls, churches and palaces, places linked to these writers’ lives and work, such as La Encarnación Monastery, San José Convent and Santa Teresa Convent. The Mysticism Interpretation Centre is located opposite this last convent.

Travelling another 136 kilometres, you will come to the end of the route in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), where Miguel de Cervantes was born. You can learn more about the author of Don Quixote in such places as his Birthplace, Plaza Cervantes square, and the Oidor Chapel, which houses the Interpretation Centre devoted to his works. Important places to see include the University, which was one of the most important intellectual centres in Europe’s Modern Age. Every 23rd of April, the University’s Assembly Hall is the scene for the presentation of the Cervantes Literature Prize, the most important award in Spanish literature.